Hold Me
by methionine
Summary: Note: This story will never be finished. AH 3 years after EC, Holly is sent to check on Artemis and finds him committing suicide. She takes him to Haven and a friendship blooms, but what happens when Artemis' life gets tossed on the balance? T for swears.
1. New Mission!

Hold Me

Disclaimer::sniffle: Here it is peoples...I DON'T OWN ARTEMIS FOWL::starts bawling:I wish I did though...everything except for the plot belongs to the brilliant Eoin Colfer.

A/N: OK peoples, this is my second fic and it's planned to be a long one. It happens 3 years after the 3rd book, when Artemis is around 16. It's a Holly x Artemis fic. It's planned to be around 20 chapters long but I won't extend it unless enough people review, so please be kind enough to press that little button at the bottom!

"HOLLY SHORT!" Root barked through a plasma screen communicator at a semi-conscious Holly sitting on a chair in her LEPrecon office.

"Huh?" Holly said sleepily. After 3 days of chasing after a 3-ton troll you couldn't exactly blame her.

"D'ARVIT HOLLY GET YOUR DAMN ARSE OFF THAT CHAIR AND GET OVER HERE!"

Holly woke with a start. After all, it isn't every day your commander swears in Mud Man. "Yeah Commander Root what's up?"

"What's up? WHAT'S UP?" Root's voice became deceptively calm. "What's up, Short, is that I want you on a mission PRONTO! GET YOUR SLEEPING BEHIND TO THE OPS BOOTH RIGHT NOW! NO EXCUSES!" Okay, so maybe not that calm...

"I'm coming, I'm coming..."

In The Ops Booth

Julius Root sat in a chair, face beetroot red as usual. Foaly sat at his computers, tapping away. "So, Short, took you long enough to get here."

Holly gasped out, "There was a delay in Police Plaza, Commander, I ran as fast as I could..."

"NO EXCUSES! We have a mission to finish, let's get on with it, shall we?" This last phrase had a dangerous edge to it.

"Yes Commander. What do I have to do?"

"Remember Artemis Fowl?"

"Yes..." Holly didn't like the sound of this.

"Well, this civilian-" he pointed to Foaly- "- here has found out that the medallion that Fowl gave Mulch wasn't really the medallion, instead it was a laser disk brushed over in gold leaf. Unfortunately, Mulch has already been released from prison and has already gone to Fowl Manor. No doubt Fowl has regained his memories of the People by now, and I want you to go there and check on Artemis and make sure that he isn't planning anything against the fairy population. If he isn't come back here and report. If he is come back and report. Got it? Good. Now Foaly will equip you."

"But Commander-" Holly said as Root walked out.

Julius stopped and turned. "Yes?"

"Why me?"

The Commander's face was turning from a rosy pink to a furious purple. "IF YOU GET PICKED FOR THE JOB THEN YOU GET PICKED FOR THE JOB! NO BUTS OR QUESTIONS JUST GO!" Root shouted and stalked off.

"Actually," Foaly chuckled quietly, "He picked you because none of his precious _male_ soldiers wanted to go."

"O-kaayyy...whatever. So Foaly what do you got for me?"

"Well, you get your standard LEP Neutrino 2000 blaster and your LEP helmet, and just in case I'll give you some out of the ordinary gadgets just in case something goes wrong. This includes concussor eggs, a sonix grenade, a vial of dwarf rock polish, and my newest patent, the Alpha-Alpha-two-Beta Crisis Saver. It can shoot out a laser ball which will simultaneously stun, envelope the target in a solid sphere of inactive plasma which, by the way can be activated at the touch of a button, and mind-wipe whatever you aimed at and, if you aim it at an object, it will instantly dissolve. It is programmed to eject acid at whatever it touches that isn't alive. And of course, I'm giving you an iris-cam."

"Great. So when's my shuttle?"

"Eh, let's see...you have 10 minutes and-"

Holly leapt up, hurriedly clipped all of her stuff to her Moonbelt, grabbed a set of Hummingbirds, and dashed off yelling behind her (as written), "ThanksforthegadgetsFoalyI'llstayintouchthroughmyiriscamandhelmetgottarunbye!"

Foaly let out a whinny and a laugh. "-and 1,800 seconds!" (A/N: For those of you that can't do the math that's 30 mins or half an hour! Ah, good one Foaly.)

Holly dashed through the thoroughfare, trying to reach the shuttles on time, while trying to put her helmet on. When she got it on, she glanced at the little clock in the corner and realized she had been tricked. She stopped dead short and growled, "That DAMN CENTAUR!" Oh well. Might as well go to the shuttles, there wasn't enough time to go back and pummel Foaly. She'd kick his ass later. That stupid Foaly.

As Holly climbed into the shuttle, she couldn't help but feel good. This was what she was born to do.

A/N: So, what do you think? More coming in chapter 2! By the way, if you're wondering about the title, don't. It'll be explained in chapter 2. Please review!


	2. Suicide

Hold Me

Chapter 2- Suicide!

Holly: Okay, people. Listen up. Here's chapter 2 of Hold Me, which is :blushes: an Artemis x Holly fanfic. The authoress worked hard on it, so please review! She wants to know exactly how many people read her fanfics, so she can decide whether or not to continue them. So here's chapter 2 of Hold me: Suicide! Oh yeah, and the authoress doesn't own the Artemis Fowl characters, though she wishes she does. Enjoy!

As Holly stepped out of the shuttle arriving in Tara, she took a deep breath. Ah, she thought. Unfiltered air. It still smelled bad from all the pollutants Mud Men put in it but it was better than the stale air in Haven. Now, to get to Fowl Manor, she thought. She clicked her shield on and started flying.

As she arrived at the gates, she heard Foaly's voice in her ear. "Holly? Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Holly answered. "What's up?"

"I need to do a scan of Fowl Manor before you enter. I want you to fly over it."

"Got it," Holly said and immediately proceeded to fly over the immense mansion.

As Foaly watched his screen, he frowned. "That's funny..." he muttered.

"What?"

"Nobody's there except for one person and judging by the size, shape, and placement I'd say it was Artemis. The fact that only one person is there is very suspicious, considering a) Butler is usually hanging around Artemis unless he's at school(A/N: Artemis is at school) , and b) Mr and Ms. Fowl are usually home minding the house. You'd better check what's going on. I'll guide you through the manor."

Right," Holly said, and went inside, Foaly's voice in her ear telling her what to do.

When Holly entered the room Artemis was in, what she saw almost gave her a heart attack. She was so surprised she even stopped shielding.

Artemis as sitting in the middle of the room, unchecked tears pouring down his face. His hair was messed up, and his clothes were rumpled. His whole form was messy. But what scared Holly the most was the blood dripping down his arms and the dagger that was pointed at his chest. Wielded by his own hands. As he slowly turned to Holly he uttered one word, "Bye."

"NO!" Holly screamed, ripping the dagger from his grip. Her whole body shook as she stood there, yelling at Artemis. "D'ARVIT ARTEMIS WHAT THE FUCKING HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Artemis gazed at her with sad eyes. "They're dead, Holly. I killed them."

Holly stopped short and sat down in front of Artemis. She then asked gently, "What do you mean, you killed them?"

Fresh tears poured over Artemis' cheeks as he collapsed into Holly's lap. "I killed them, Holly." his muffled voice sobbed. "I was doing an experiment with some explosive substances. I had a special force field around me, but I never put one anywhere else, I thought that the explosion wouldn't be that big. But it was. I created a less potent bio-bomb, much like the fairies', except it could be resisted. It went through the mansion, killing everybody but me. Butler, Juliet, my mother, and my father. All dead! And because of _me_. I thought it might as well have killed me. I feel responsible. Who would have thought that the cold, gold hungry Artemis fowl would feel remorse? The old me, when I first kidnapped you, wouldn't have." He emitted a short barking laugh. "I've lost everything. Holly, just let me kill myself."

Holly was speechless for a few seconds at Artemis. Then it broke. "Artemis, don't you DARE ever think that again. You are going to live to a ripe old age. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO KILL YOURSELF! Yes, you made a stupid mistake, everybody does that, just most people don't have such serious repercussions. But even though it was your fault, I KNOW your family and the Butlers wouldn't want you to kill yourself for this. Do you think it would help if you died? NO! They would have wanted to stay alive, and that's what I plan for you to do. You are going to help their memories live on. You are a millionaire, build a memorial, hold a lavish funeral, but for god's sake, DON'T KILL YOURSELF!" Her voice softened. "And besides, you haven't lost everything. You still have me, we're friends, remember? "

Artemis looked up at Holly. "Thank you, Holly, for talking some sense into me. You're right. And-um, Holly?"

"Yeah, Mud Boy?"

"Did you really mean that? You know, the part where you said we were friends?"

"Yes, of course! Do you really think I'd leave you alone here to mope? At least, if you don't think we're friends, I'm still the closest thing you have to one now, so well, yeah. And if you're still dwelling on the part where you kidnapped me? Forget it. We're even. You know? I think I have some inspiration for you. There was one songI always loved, it was called Simple and Clean and it was by a Mud Girl, someone named Utada Hikaru. The last verse was my favorite, and it always held me up when I was down. It goes,

Hold me

Whatever lies beyond this morning

Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all

Nothing's like before

"Thank you Holly. So what can I do now? I mean, I know I have the funds and everything, but I'm an orphan. I'm a Ward of the State, or at least I'll probably become one soon. I'll be put in custody of some old lady who bakes cookies and I'll probably never have a free day again."

Holly thought about this for a moment. "I got it. You can come live in Haven, Foaly will somehow change all your funds into fairy gold or something. We could use you in the LEP, in the brains department with Foaly or something like that. You're 16, correct? Well, then in 2 years you'll become a legal adult and you can return. Until then, you can live in Haven as long as you don't plot against us or devise a plan to take over or the like. Foaly can make up an excuse for why you've disappeared. Okay plan?"

Artemis pondered for a moment, then smiled. "I say that's a great plan."

"Okay then!" Holly said with a bright smile. "what are we waiting for?"

"Maybe for my arms to stop bleeding?" Artemis suggested. "I feel sort of faint." And with that he did.

Holly gasped and quickly put her hands to the deep slashes on the unconscious boy's arms. Oooh. Yikes. He must've lost a lot of blood. "Foaly, are you getting this?' She quickly said into her mike.

"Yep," Foaly answered as he leaned closer to his plasma screen. "He's lost a lot of blood. Better heal him fast and get him over to our medi-warlocks."

"Okay." Holly placed her hands on Artemis' arms. "Heal." The blue sparks sensed her urgency and quickly spread in large amounts around Artemis' arms. In a few minutes, his arms were completely healed, except for two long crescent shaped scars, one on each arm. Hurriedly she wrapped him in cam-foil and sped off back toward Tara.

A/N: So, there's the second chapter! Kind of short, isn't it. Please review!


	3. Bored

Hold Me

Chapter 3

Artemis: Alright all you people out there, this is the 3rd chappie of the authoress' 2nd fic. By the way, I'm reading directly off a paper so that's why I sound horribly 'modern', as they call it, and not like my regular, dignified self. :sniff: She doesn't own me or anybody else, thankfully. Who knows what stuff she'd make Holly and I do. :shiver: which brings us to the point that this is an :blushes: Artemis Holly romance. Reny would like to thank all of her reviewers and tell them if they want replies to their reviews, they're on her user page. Please enjoy chapter 3: Bored

In the Ops Booth:

"CAPTAIN SHORT WHY THE HELL DID YOU BRING THE MUD BUY!" Root yelled at Holly.

"Commander-" Holly started to say when Foaly cut her off.

"Holly was just being nice, I mean the buy's an orphan now. Just look at this tape." Foaly clicked a button and started to play the footage from Holly's Iris-Cam.

As Holly and Artemis started talking in the video, Holly and Root turned red. Holly because she was blushing, Root because he was fuming. Artemis, by the way, was also turning red as he sat quietly in a corner f the Ops Booth. Finally, as Foaly clicked the tape player off, Root started yelling again.

"CAPTAIN SHORT WHY DID YOU DO THAT!"

Again, Foaly came to her rescue. "Commander, I was just a nice thing to do. After all, the boy's practically broken now. And besides, don't we sort of owe it to him after the Bwa' Kell incident? He helped us a lot you know."

"What are you, Holly and Artemis' godfather or something?" Root asked Foaly, clearly furious that the centaur was not taking his side.

"No, but it was a good plan, and again, it was a nice thing to do."

Root grumbled about it for a little while, then growled, "Fine. He can stay. Under 3 conditions. One, Holly, he's in your custody. Two, He doesn't cause any trouble. And three, he does something useful."

Artemis piped up. "I could work in the Ops Booth with Foaly," he suggested.

"Civilian?" Julius asked Foaly.

"Fine by me, besides, he's probably the only being alive that can understand me."

And so Artemis stayed in the Ops Booth running errands for Foaly, helping him on his newest invention, and so on and so on. Artemis considered it pretty boring. He went on like this for a week, until he got really really bored of it. Finally Foaly gave him some LEP helmets.

"Tinker with these," Foaly told him. "There's something wrong with them, and I want you to figure out what."

So there was about one week worth of fun. Hoo-ray. Maybe he shouldn't have consented to Holly's plan, he thought. But no, the alternative was worse. Artemis sighed. Being Foaly's errand boy was absolutely boring.

That is, until Holly remembered something and came up with a plan...

A/N Guys, I'm really sorry but I'm leaving you at a cliff-hanger::giggle: This will encourage to keep checking on me! So how do you think of this one? PLEASE REVIEW! It was sort of boring but I couldn't really think of anything for dear Arty to do! Don't worry, chappie 4, PRANK! Will be much better. I promise!


	4. PRANK!

Chapter 4

Julius: Ok, I'm here to give the introduction because Holly and Artemis are busy pranking Foaly. Hah, serves that stupid donkey right. Reny would like to say that she, unfortunately, does not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters, and she is also sorry if Artemis seems OOC. Oh yes, and in this story, Opal Koboi is currently released from prison and out at large as a result of some false documents. She would also like to say that romance starts in the next chapter. Reny would like for anybody who reads this story to review review review. Now on with the pranks::evil grin:

"So, what's your plan? Artemis asked Holly.

Holly grinned evilly. "Well, I still haven't gotten back at Foaly for tricking me when he first informed me of this mission. So, I've decided to prank him. The only problem is, I don't know what to do. That's where you come in. I need you to think of a good prank."

Artemis smiled widely. Finally. A refrain from boredom. At least for a little while. "Sure, just give me a moment." He sat contemplating a good prank to play when something clicked. "I got it."

"What's your plan?' Holly asked.

"Is there any way we can sabotage Foaly's tin foil hat? (A/N: I know Foaly got rid of it in EC, but pretend he has another one or something.)"

Holly snorted. "Well, yeah duh. Of course there is. All we have to do is get him to think that someone has found a way to penetrate it and can get into his brain. Then he takes it off for repair and places a makeshift one on his head."

"Good. Now probably he normally do it himself, but he told me he has a big project for Root due soon and for every hour it's late, five pounds of gold is deducted from his budget. So since I'm a child prodigy, he'll probably let me do it. After all, I _am_ very clever. I'll implant a mike and earpiece into it and Foaly won't know it's there because I'll steal one of his newest patents, and it's not even detectable by his own machines. Then we can talk to him through his foil hat, and he'll think that finally people have gotten into his head. And he won't suspect me of not doing a good job because I'll tell him that I coated it in everything I could possibly think of, and when he checks what I said, he'll find it's true because I really will do that. It'll be brilliant." He finished smugly.

"Great," Holly said. "But how is this going to be really good revenge?"

Artemis' voice became even smugger. "Foaly has a meeting with the council soon. I'll start talking to him during it. And then, when he's at his craziest, I'll tell him I'm coming for him, and it'll be over, and he won't hear voices ever again. But then, after the meeting, when he goes back into the Ops booth, you'll be waiting for him, with a bucket of water. You see, his new Micro-Mike is self-adhesive as a result of a special kind of plasma, but that plasma is resistant to pure, distilled water and only pure distilled water. So when he comes in, you dash him with pure distilled water and the Micro-Mike falls out of his hat. You get to see his face when he realizes he's been tricked, and you also get the satisfaction pf seeing him drenched. Now tell me I'm not a genius," he finished.

Holly was ecstatic. "Oooh, Foaly's going to get it!"

Artemis grinned. "Yes he will."

In The Ops Booth

"At the risk of sounding clichéd, I would like to say, OH MY FUCKING GOD!" Artemis yelled(A/N: But we all know Artemis probably wouldn't swear, right?) as he smiled and saw the fake article that he knew Holly had posted.

"What?" Foaly asked.

"OPAL KOBOI HAS DEVISED A WAY TO MAKE MIND-READING LASERS CUT THROUGH TIN FOIL!" Artemis yelled and pointed at the article.

Foaly was so shocked he stopped his super-important project for Root and trotted over to where Artemis was sitting. "Oh D'Arvit," he breathed when he saw the article. "Artemis, get me some tin foil." Artemis handed him a roll and watched as Foaly began to make a makeshift hat. Just like Holly said he would. When he finished he quickly switched hats. He handed Artemis the original and said, "Artemis, I want you to do as much as you can to make this hat mind-laser proof. Normally I'd do it myself but I just don't have time, I'm so busy. Try to do it fast!" Yes, just like Holly predicted.

Within two days Artemis had coated it with whatever he could find. And of course he slipped one of Foaly's new Micro-Mikes inside it. "Phase one completed," he whispered to himself, a gleam in his eyes.

Three days Later

"ArtemisIhavetoruntakecareoftheOpsBoothwhileI'matthecouncilmeetingdon'tletanybodyyoudon'ttrustinbye!

Foaly yelled as he dashed (or should I say galloped LOL) out the door. Yes, Artemis thought. Soon, phase two will be done. He waited about ten minutes, then decided to start talking into Foaly's earpiece. It should be around the middle of the meeting now, he thought. "Oh Foa-ly," he said into the earpiece, while disguising his voice to sound like Opal Koboi.

At the Council Meeting

All of a sudden, just as Foaly was giving a speech, he heard a voice. "Oh Foa-ly,"

"Wha? Whose there?"

All the council members looked startled as Foaly started talking to thin air.

"Foaly, this is Opal speaking," Artemis whispered into the mike.

At the council meeting, Foaly went crazy. "NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"I'm coming Foaly," Artemis whispered and closed the connection.

The council meeting was in chaos. Finally it settled down, ending with Foy being sent back to the Ops Booth. By then, Holly had already gotten there, complete with a bucket of pure water. As Foaly stomped in, he was dashed by a bucket of water. "What the-" he spluttered through a mouthful of water. Then he saw the Micro-Mike, Holly, and Artemis standing there, goofy smiles on their faces. "You," he growled.

Artemis and Holly glanced at each other. They both shrugged and said with a bored expression, "Yeah,"

"I'm calling Vinaya," Foaly muttered. Holly and Artemis gasped. Then they knew for sure, that they were going to be punished.

In Vinaya's Office

"I'm very disappointed in both of you, and as you should know quite well, I will have to punish you. Your punishment will be..."

A/N: MUAHHAHAHHAHAHA! A CLIFFHANGER! Hehe, I'm just so evil. Read the next chapter to find out what happens! (That is, when I post it...EVIL GRIN!) Oh yeah, and PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. In the Dungeon

Hold Me

Chapter 5: In The Dungeon...

Foaly: Hi, all you eager Mud People! I'm here to give the intro because Artemis and Holly are off doing their punishment. Haha, they deserve it, after all those mean things they did to me. :sniff: One special thing about this chapter is, there are two versions! Yes, you heard me. Please vote in a review whether you like the original or the alternate better. Thank you! Anyways, the typical stuff, the authoress doesn't own Artemis Fowl, please review her fics, enjoy the latest chapter of Hold Me, blah blah blah. Oh yeah, and in this chapter the romance starts! Anyways, let's get on with it::snicker:

"Your punishment is firstly, you have to spend a night in a locked lightless room for a night and a day, handcuffed to each other. The second punishment is that you must be servant to Foaly for a week." Vinyaya finished.

Artemis and Holly gasped. "But that's not fair!" they said in unison!

"Be glad you weren't booted out of the LEP. The council was all for it, until Julius managed to convince them after an hour of arguing not to." Vinyaya snapped sharply at them.

Artemis and Holly sighed. They would just have to stick it out.

In the Dungeon

"This is all your fault!" Holly yelled at Artemis.

"How is it my fault? You're the one who said we had to get revenge on Foaly."

"Well you're the one who came up with the plan! If it wasn't so drastic we wouldn't be in this situation! D'Arvit, I can't see, I'm cold, hungry, I'm bored, and worst of all I'm chained to my former WORST ENEMY for a day and night! If I ..." Holly went on ranting like this for almost an hour. Frankly, Artemis was surprised at her energy. Unfortunately he was getting annoyed. He had already tried various methods to get her to shut up. Holly, could you please be quiet. Holly if you'll be quiet I'll do all the servant duties for you. Holly, Shut UP! SHUT THE HELL UP! Even, SHUT THE FUCKING HELL UP! He had even tried punching her, dragging her around, he even went so far as to offering her all the ransom gold he had gotten in his first caper with the fairies. Finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He would have to go to drastic measures. Of course he didn't want to but when he was that desperate, he decided to do it. He sighed. He _really_ didn't want to but he'd have to. If he wanted Holly to shut up. He got her by kissing her. On the lips.

"What the-FOWL YOU FUCKING BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Holly screamed.

"Getting you to shut up,' Artemis replied calmly, even though his heart was beating at around ten thousand beats per second. He couldn't believe it. He'd kissed Captain Holly Short. But that wasn't the worst of it. Oh no. The point was that he'd kissed Holly, and he'd actually enjoyed it.

Holly was in shock. Her nerves were fried when Artemis kissed her. All her system was capable of was that one sentence. Well, okay, technically it was 2 sentences but who really cares. And, just like Artemis, she found that she actually enjoyed it. She shook her head furiously. An elf and a Mud Boy. It would never work. Besides, she was almost a century older than him. She almost laughed. But finally, she decided, she did owe him an apology. She was just as much to blame as Artemis was for the prank. '"Sorry."

Artemis was surprised. "For what?'

"For rambling on like that. It wasn't totally your fault. It was both of ours."

"Apology accepted."

They both sat in silence for a while. Then Holly said, "Well, what do you want to do?"

Artemis shrugged. "At the risk of sounding unlike myself I'd say, I dunno."

A/N: and now you have a choice. You can either read the original ending of this chapter, or you can read the alternate ending because I got some reviews telling me the original wasn't very...shall we say, plausible. Of course, you could also do the thing that I would probably do, read both. Whatever you do though, please vote for one or the other in a review!

Original:

Then Artemis remembered something. All those times he got punched by Holly. He smirked. Time to get back at her. And he knew that he'd enjoy it a lot. Moving silently, careful not to tug Holly's hand with the handcuffs as he crept closer, he completely dumbfounded her by sitting in her lap and, would you believe it, even cuddled her. Most unlike the previous Artemis Fowl. Holly, of course, was speechless. Then she decided to play along. Might as well have her revenge and also have some fun too. (A/N I know this is really uncharacteristic of them but just go along with it okay?) She entwined her arms in his and kissed him. Artemis was completely surprised. He smiled devilishly. So, she wanted to play, did she? Fine then. He slowly got off her lap, gently picked her up, and placed her in his. Then he kissed her back. On the lips. And all the while hugging her to him too. Holly couldn't help it. She let out a soft sigh. Artemis was shocked. Was she actually enjoying it? "Short, are you actually enjoying this? Do you like me or something?"

Holly turned red as a tomato. She was relieved Vinyaya had put them in a completely dark room. Do I like Artemis? The Mud Boy? All of a sudden she wasn't so sure that they were only friends. What about after the mind-wipe? a little voice in her head asked. What about the time you gave him the medallion? What about when Foaly asked you if you would miss him? Shut up! Holly thought fiercely to the voice. You know you like him, the voice whispered before leaving. Holy decided to answer questions with questions. "Do you? Why are you kissing me in the first place?"

Artemis also turned a beetroot colour. All of a sudden he thought, do I? I mean, we are friends, that's for sure but does it go farther then that? He decided to remain silent.

After a loooooong while, holly decided to speak up. "Artemis the truth is..." Holly started, not knowing how to say this. She sighed. This would not be easy. Hopefully Artemis felt the same way.

She sighed again, and decided. Just stick it out Holly. You can do this. "Artemis, I just want to tell you-"

Artemis held up a hand. "I know." He strongly hoped Holly was about to say what he thought she was going to say. "Me too."

Holly let out a sigh of relief. "So, should we get back to snogging?" She said deviously, with a glint in her eyes.

Artemis smiled. "Yes." And you know what ensued.

Alternate:

Then Artemis remembered something. He had a 500 milliliter emergency bottle of pure alcohol. Artemis smirked. Time to have some fun. "Hey Holly," he said casually, tapping her on the shoulder.

Holly turned around, suspicious. Why was Artemis being so sociable all of a sudden? "What?"

"Do you want any water? I have an extra flask in my pocket..."

Holly lost all thoughts and immediately grabbed it. She was incredibly thirsty, she hadn't drank anything since before they pulled the prank, and all the ranting had made her throat dry. She downed most of it in one gulp, then passed the 3/4ths empty bottle back to Artemis, who stared at it. Who knew female elves could be so...thirsty?

Holly started to feel dizzy. The alcohol was intoxicating her. Holly started to giggle uncontrollably. "Hey Arty, wanna make out?" she said in a seductive voice. Her eyelids were already half closed. Artemis was very freaked out. He hadn't expected this, this wasn't supposed to happen! Holly was just supposed to act stupid and foolish...then again, she was acting stupid and foolish right now. Then Holly did something that made his heart skip a beat. She sat on his lap. And-

She put her face an inch away from his.

Now Artemis was extremely freaked out. He couldn't see Holly but he knew she was there because of the weight on his legs and her hot breath on his face. Then Holly almost made his heart stop. She kissed him.

Artemis was past freaked by now. He was ultimately scared. And obviously it takes a lot to get Artemis Fowl the Second _scared_. He slowly pushed Holly off his lap and backed away. Get away from the drunk, he thought. Get away from the drunk. Holly heard his movement and followed him. Unfortunately Artemis finally backed into the wall and Holly promptly sat back on his lap. Artemis sighed, his brain racing. Yes, he would have to do it. There was no other way out. He pulled out the wine, looked at it in disgust, and quickly polished off what was left of it. Soon, he figured, he would be dead drunk too and at least he wouldn't have any memory of what would probably happen. Thankfully.

Artemis was correct. In a few minutes he was out flat. As drunk as a guy in a bar. Now that Artemis was drunk too, he didn't resist Holly's motions. Not even when she started to kiss him-in the style of the French. (No offence to any people who are French here.)

Ah yes, and what a brilliant time they had... (interpret as you like but no it's not that you perverts)

They had both fell asleep sometime in the middle of it, and Vinaya, Foaly, and Root discovered them asleep with Holly in Artemis' lap, a very disturbing picture to Root. Especially considering the fact that they were snoring like sailors. And there was an empty wine bottle on the floor, as Artemis had neglected to put the vessel back inside his jacket... Root kicked them unceremoniously to wake them up. Both of them had hangovers.

"Uuuhhhhhh..." Holly groaned. "What just happened?" Then she realized she was sitting in Artemis' lap and woke up with a start. Holly quickly jumped off his lap as her mind raced trying to remember what had happened. She remembered Artemis offering her water and then... Holly groaned again. That Fowl tricked her! He must have given her a highly alcoholic beverage since she had been knocked out almost immediately. She hurriedly tried to explain to Root but to no avail. Julius was turning steadily redder with each word.

"Holly Short," the Commander growled, obviously _very_ mad. Holly gulped. This did not sound good. "You idiot, falling for his tricks! He's done it before, why shouldn't he do it again. You are now serving double your punishment. Instead of one week, you will be serving two weeks." He then immediately turned to Artemis. "Mud Boy. You are a disgrace. We fairies have taken you in, helped you live, helped you survive, and this is how you repay us? Tell me, why should we help you? No, don't answer, that was a rhetorical question. Luckily for you, I have attributed your sudden craziness to the loss of your family and closest friends. Almost anyone could have gone crazy with that. But that still does not rescue you from punishment. You will be serving two weeks to Foaly and one week to Holly. No buts. I am truly disappointed at your behaviour, both of you."

Vinyaya then stepped forward and unlocked their hand cuffs, and then walked out, followed by Root. Foaly looked at them, and said quietly, "Follow me."


	6. Servant For a Week or Two

Hold Me

Chapter 6: Servant for a Week or Two

Chix Verbil: Hiya all you Mud People::looks around confidentially: (In a whisper) And a special welcome to all you single ladies out there too. :winkwinknudgenudge: I'm here to introduce the story even though I don't come in until next chapter at the Annual LEP Talent Show...Oops! Wasn't supposed to tell you that...:laughs nervously: Anyways, the authoress wants me to tell you, she is very sorry that she hasn't been updating much lately and that she doesn't own Artemis Fowl or any of the other characters. Now, a word from her sponsors-err, I mean reviewers...err, wait, no that would be replies to her reviewers, oh what the heck just get on with it...:walks off mumbling:

Meliara of Asistar: Yeah, here's my update. And if you haven't noticed, I've retyped chapter five, it's very different now. You might want to read that before you read this chapter.

Neko Mew Midorikawa :Thanks! Yes, I agree, this is a very cute couple!

AgiVega: Again, Thank you! I'll definitely put romantic antics in the next chapter, but I can't really put them in this chapter. Sorry about that! Oh, and I've seen your work on deviant art, even before you reviewed this fic! Its really good, do you mind if I contribute a picture?

Akuweaselgirl:I know it's kind of odd but please bear with me. I'm trying my best. Anyways, here's your update.

Kelaal: Yes, I know that. Thanks, but sometimes I kind of prefer to swear...

KageRyu101: Yes, they kissed::face lights up in glee: Now, why can't Eoin Colfer make them do that in his books?

grossed out person: I was thinking , I'd better hurry up and finish this before my half hour time limit on the computer is up. What were you thinking?

James: Yes, here's my new chappie. As a small blurb, I'll tell you, she'll react a little differently than expected, especially because I rewrote the chapter...

DETERMINEDPerfectionist: Yes, a very good thing...Don't worry, I'll write more!

Daye the lover of all romances: Haha, when I first read your name I thought it was _Dave_ the lover of all romances...hehe whatever. Ummm...now that you think of it, he really can't. That's why I rewrote chapter five. Thanks for the advice, I tried to follow it in my new Redwall story...

Kayla Holsten: I'm glad you like the story, I know it's moving fast, but I'm sort of an impatient person...

Maiden Genisis: Yes, I know that, it's fixed now.

La-dee-da22: Of course it wouldn't just happen like that. I'm just impatient.

Gogglus Piscus ) :Wow...:eyes grow huge: What a long review! Thank you for all your suggestions, that was wonderful constructive criticism... As for the enclosing verbs part, I did, I honestly did! I put them in asterisks, but every time I retyped them in, always removed them inevitably...I now put them in double colons. See::points: Ummm...I've never heard of a horse laugh...As to the grammar and spelling? I'm trying my best, I really am, I'm only 11 years old... I must of missed the cenataur/centaur part when going over in spell check... So I need a beta reader? Ok then, how about you, since you seemed to catch everything that went wrong...But honestly, thanks for all your suggestions!

Chix Verbil: And that's all of the reviewers! At least, I hope it is. Reny apologizes if she missed anyone. Oh yeah, and she wants everybody to know that she has rewritten chapter five. She wants to know if the replacement is better or if the original was better. Vote for chapter 5a or chapter 5b in your reviews please! And now, on with the story!

It was the second week of service to Foaly, and Holly and Artemis were undoubtedly bored, mad, and frustrated. Bored, was obvious. Mad, actually only Holly was mad. Artemis was taking it in stride. Then again, he really didn't have anything to be mad about. He wasn't the one who had been tricked by someone who he thought was his friend. And frustrated, at everything. And Holly was especially frustrated at the fact that Foaly had assigned her to clean his house and the Ops Booth every other day. Artemis had to do Foaly's housework on the other days. On the days that they didn't have to clean house they were helping Foaly run errands, delivering messages to the council, etcetera, etcetera. Needless to say, they couldn't wait until it was over. Especially Holly. When this was over, she had Artemis to be _her_ servant.

Holly looked forward to the end of each day more than she had ever before, not even in the first days of being in the LEP, not even when Root put her on probation, not even when Chix Verbil had followed her around for a week. The end of the day was when she could finally stop cleaning house, when she could finally stop running around, when she could _finally_ sink into the mud bath she now dumped herself into daily-or should I say nightly. Today was no different, except for one thing.

Haven's purified mud was now unavailable.

There was a leak in one of the cleaning systems that could not be fixed until two days later. And for these two days, anybody who crossed a certain very grumpy Holly Short would wish they hadn't. Even Artemis stopped trying to convince her it wasn't his fault. At least one good thing came out of all of this. They made up.

On the second day without any mud bath, Holly's cranky meter was at a dangerously high level. "Why should I be the one cleaning his house? It's below grunt work! He should hire house keepers or something. Stupid centaurs who can't even clean up after themselves! And if he had to assign me this, he could've at least not assign Artemis to clean too! Every time I come back after the other day, half the stuff I cleaned is moved, gone, or suddenly back again after being thrown away!" she muttered to herself as she scrubbed the countertop, sticky with remains of slug chips and takeout maybe a century old all over it. Just then, Artemis rang the doorbell. He had a message to deliver from Foaly. Actually, the message was really just a superficial detail in trying to get Holly and Artemis to make up. He had bugged his house for this opportunity and sat back in the Ops Booth right now, munching slug chips and sipping a nettle smoothie.

Holly went to answer the door. When she saw Artemis, she growled, "What do you want?"

Artemis replied coolly, "I have a message from Foaly. He says you're to come to the Ops Booth right now."

Holly blew it and yelled, "Why the hell should I? I'm already stuck cleaning his house which probably was never cleaned from the day he moved in! I'm sick and tired of being his housekeeper! And now I have to work alongside you? This is all your fault!"

Artemis was shocked. "My fault? MY fault? How is it my fault? You were the one who was complaining about the situation so badly that I was forced to subdue you in some way or another!"

Holly poked a finger at Artemis's chest and growled, "It is your fault because you were the one who kissed me, you were the one who offered me the wine, and YOU were the one who didn't use the obvious solution, which would be to knock me out!"

Artemis had had enough. He was tired of being mad with Holly. He decided to just accept he blame, as much as he hated to do it. "Fine, it was my fault. There, you happy?"

Holly, surprised, backed away. They stood there facing each other for a few moments, then Holly said, with a glare, "Apology accepted."

Artemis sighed with relief. Now that that was over, maybe she'd come to the Ops Booth. "So are you coming?"

Holly was caught off guard. "Coming where?" Then she remembered. "Oh yeah. The Ops Booth." For the first time in quite a few days, she smiled at Artemis. "Sure."

In the Ops Booth

Foaly smiled hugely. Yes, his plan was working. And nobody had ever suspected that he was playing matchmaker. After all, it was he who had suggested the locked dark room punishment to Vinyaya. He knew they wouldn't be able to stay there for a night without at least kissing once. And by the time the Talent Show was over, they'd be locked in each others arms. But Foaly never knew that something would go wrong. Something that would destroy Haven.

A/N: Haha, another cliffhanger! Not much of one, but still. Like always, review! And don't forget to vote for the different versions of chapter 5!


	7. The LEP Talent Show

Hold Me

Chapter 7: The Talent Show

Mulch::glances around furtively: I really shouldn't be here, as the LEP are on a red alert for me right now, but the authoress made me. :whimper: She told me to play this recording of her for you. :presses play button:

(silence) OHMIGOD I'm really really really sorry about the late update. Anyways, here are the answers to your reviews.

Voice of the Nine day Watch: You're the only person who voted! Well Thank you! And here's Mulch. :)

KageRyu101: I'm sorry for all the cliffies I'm giving you. And I'm extra sorry that this chapter is so late!

ladeeda22:Thanks!

James: I wrote more, but not very soon. Sorry about that!

AgiVega: Thanks for accepting my pics! Please update your story soon!

DETERMINEDperfectionist: Yes, poor Holly, but at least now she has a servant!

cocoaducks:Thanks!

akuweaselgirl:Thank you!

Butlers Dad: I'll try to put in more fluff!

tania15:Yes, I am quite addicted to putting in cliffhangers.

And there we go, the last of the reviews. Oh yes, and I own nada except for the plot. Now back to Mulch here...(recording stops)

Mulch: And so there is all you need to know. Now on with the story::quickly disappears:

Holly groaned. This copier was taking forever! It was the last day of service to Foaly, and he was making it the most boring and patience-trying day of all. At least, she reflected moodily, after today I'll have a servant of my own. Finally the copier beeped, announcing it was done. As Holly loaded the one thousand, two hundred, and fifty five fliers she had copied for Foaly onto the hover trolley. As she loaded them, she took the chance to see what the flier was about. Holly's face lit up when she saw that it was for the 1000th Annual LEP Talent Show. And since it was a millennium, Foaly, who was the head organizer, had promised something special.

Holly had participated in it for every year that she was in the LEP, and she always carried off at least one of the awards. The Talent Show was actually where the Academy Awards had originated. There were awards like Weirdest, Cutest, Most Humorous, Most Creative, Best All Around, etcetera, etcetera.

Holly quickly finished loading the papers and told the hover trolley to go back to Foaly's office, while she flew speedily behind it. What should she do this year, she wondered, unconsciously controlling her Hummingbirds.

:In the Ops Booth:

Foaly soon saw the hover trolley whiz around the corner and skid to a stop outside his door. Foaly pressed the button to allow it in. Holly came flying in a few seconds later. "All one thousand two hundred fifty-five fliers here," she said.

"Good," Foaly replied, "Now you can deliver all of them. Oh, and don't forget to take one for you and Artemis."

Holly stared at him, mouth wide open. "You're kidding. You want me to deliver fliers personally to every single LEP officer?"

"That's exactly what I want you to do. Preferably now, not tomorrow."

Holly growled in frustration at the fact that there was no choice, she had to do it. Otherwise, Beetroot would have her badge in a second.

Delivering the fliers would take a long time. Not to mention the fact that the main LEP building covered 968,351 square feet of ground. And that the offices of seven hundred and forty two LEP fairies were scattered all around it. And the part where the other half of the LEP was all the way across Haven. Which is about, oh, one hundred kilometres.

Finally Holly got it done. It took around eight hours to do it, and it didn't help that Chix was tagging around her most of the time trying to engage her in a conversation about getting together for the Talent Show. Of course, Holly won.

When she got home to her house, she couldn't be happier to just plop on the her sofa and sleep there forever. She didn't even want to walk to her bedroom. Unfortunately for her, her peaceful reverie was broken by a voice she knew well.

"Sleep well?" a sarcastic voice asked.

Holly groaned. "Don't wake me up Artemis, I'm too tired," then she sat up with a start. What was Artemis doing in her house?

"So you're finally up. As you are probably wondering why I am in your house, Foaly told me that he couldn't find a place for me, as there aren't any places for sale or for rent. Therefore, he sent me to live with you. I trust you don't mind me using your spare room, as I slept in it last night, and that's where I will probably be staying for a while."

Holly was speechless. First, Foaly made her deliver a gazillion fliers all over the LEP. And now she had to live with Artemis Fowl! "OOOOHHH that Foaly! He's such a bas-"

Artemis cut her off quickly before she could say more. "Foaly said also to remind you that all contestants for the Talent Show audition in three days, which is next Monday."

Holly relaxed. "All right then, I'd better start getting ready."

"What are you doing?" Artemis asked, his curiosity aroused.

A/N: So, should I leave you at a cliff hanger? But then again, I promised that this chapter would be the Talent Show. Go on, go on...

"Singing," Holly replied.

:At the LEP auditions:

"Next!" Foaly yelled, massaging his temples. A whole day of watching bad acts. So far, he had only given twenty out of two hundred the approval for the Talent Show and their rehearsal schedules.

Holly walked in confidently. She was positively sure she would get in. "I'm singing," she stated shortly (no intended pun!) and slapped her video disk on Foaly's desk. Foaly popped the disk into the player and laid his finger on the play button. "Whenever you're ready," he said.

Holly nodded, and Foaly started playing it. Holly took a deep breath, then started to sing. She had a lovely voice, and usually people loved to listen to it.

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_You're giving me_

_Too many things_

_Lately, you're all I need_

_You smiled at me _

_And said_

_Don't get me wrong I love you_

_But does that mean I have to meet your father?_

_When we are older you'll understand _

_What I meant when I said no,_

_I don't think life is quite that simple_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_The daily things_

_That keep us all_

_Busy, All confusing me_

_That's when you came to me_

_And said_

_Wish I could prove I love you_

_But does that mean I have to walk_

_On water? _

_When we are older you'll understand _

_It's enough when I say so_

_And maybe some things are that simple_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before..._

As Holly's voice slowly faded away, Foaly was amazed. Holly had the best act so far. Even better than the first one, a gnome playing a techniquely challenging yet beautiful ancient song written in the days of Frond honouring The Book on the allasias, the fairy population's most renowned instrument (Quite like the Mud Man's violin, except more refined.)."You're in," he told her immediately.

Holly's face was wreathed in glee. This year she'd aim to get five awards and beat the former record for most awards by one person. A certain Julius Root had gotten four awards just eight years ago.

Foaly handed her the pass to the rehearsal room and her rehearsal schedule. "Here's your rehearsal schedule and your pass. You rehearse tomorrow at seven pm, next Friday at noon, next Saturday at eight am, and all of the week after next you are to report to the Frond Centre Auditorium at ten am for a complete run-through. Next next Saturday is the show. All rehearsals are forty five minutes except for the run-throughs. Got it?"

Holly nodded and replied, "Got it," as she walked out of the audition room.

:An Hour Before the Show:

"Remind me again why I have come with you to this Talent Show?" Artemis asked for the millionth time as Holly speeded through the streets of Haven in her Hummingbirds with Artemis safely (then again, maybe not very safely) clipped on to her Moonbelt, along with all of her things needed for the rehearsal. Like her dress, hair gel, makeup, brush, extra copy of her music, etc, etc. Did I mention they were bumping into our dear Arty and giving him bruises?

Holly growled through gritted teeth, "I told you, because Foaly needs extra technical help after one of his technicians screwed up his job and so he's short on help and he _needs_ _things fixed_. And if you don't comply, well then I hope you can comply with being a ward of the state. Back in Mud Land. Understood?"

Artemis decided to stay silent. Besides, they were already there.

The Frond Aud, as most of the LEP affectionately called it (not Beetroot or Vinaya though) was a bustle of activity. Foaly was in the centre trying to control it. "Where are you going with that light?" "Someone plug in the sound system!" "Where's help when you need it?"

Holly pushed through the (mildly) organized chaos dragging Artemis behind her. Finally she made it to the extremely large greenroom. She dumped Artemis in and told him firmly, "Stay in here, while I go change." Artemis sat back in one of the numerous sofas as Holly went off to one of the bathrooms conveniently connected to the greenroom to prepare.

Artemis looked around his surroundings, trying to find something of interest. Meanwhile, Holly had finished changing and was admiring herself in the mirror. She had seen herself in the dress only two times before, and she'd never really taken a good look. It was a deep forest green, with lime coloured trimmings. It went off the shoulder and had scalloped edges. The sleeves went just a little past her elbow, and were made of a thin veil-like material. It went all the way past her feet to lie in soft folds on the floor. She quickly gelled her hair to remain in place and fixed a barrette shaped like a holly leaf in her hair. She then applied a little lipstick and face powder and was set to go. "What do you think?" She asked Artemis as she walked out of the bathroom.

Artemis looked up and was momentarily stunned. "You look great," He commented smoothly.

"Good then, now go help Foaly," She ordered with a twinkle in her eyes.

:At the Beginning of the Talent Show:

Foaly walked up to the stage and took the mike. "Hello LEP officers, and welcome to the Annual! L! E! P! TALENT SHOW!" He yelled, and was answered back by a resounding cheer from the crowd. Foaly looked at them with satisfaction. The talent show was also sort of a dinner affair, so, instead of the usual row-by-row seats in the audience Foaly had organized for restaurant dinner tables (complete with roses in the middle) to be placed all around the floor. All the LEP officers that were not in the show sat around them munching on whatever they had ordered from the menu or sipping a nettle smoothie or two. And he had reserved a table just for our little pair, Artemis and Holly. Of course, only Artemis was sitting at it right now.

Foaly continued on with the introductions. "Introducing your host for the evening, Julius Root!"

The LEP commander walked- or should I say, _stalked_ onto centre stage and pulled Foaly's pointy ears. "What did I tell you about calling me Julius!" he roared. He then let go, leaving Foaly to nurse an injured ear. Root then turned to the audience, smiling broadly like nothing had happened. "Now then," he said pleasantly, voice dripping with honey, "As soon as this donkey-" shooting a sharp glance at Foaly "gets out of the way, we'll start with the first act. Introducing Chix Verbil, doing the..." he stopped for a moment peering closely at his paper. "the... Whimentrakshiondanzofzeverbillmann?" He guessed questioningly. (A/N Speedy update for anyone who can guess what that's supposed to mean!) Shrugging, he walked off stage to see an Extremely Weird Looking Chix Verbil stride onstage wearing...a hula skirt and coconut bra! Laughter erupted from the audience. As Chix Verbil started doing his stuff, Foaly sighed with relief. The Talent Show was finally off its feet.

Meanwhile, Holly, backstage was fretting. Would she do okay? What if she hit a sour note? What if she messed up? What if... finally, numerous acts after Chix's, Julius announced, "And next up...Holly Short, singing Simple and Clean by Hikaru Utada!" Holly checked that her clip-on mike was securely in place, and walk onstage. Foaly started playing the music, and Holly's fears slid away. She had done this before. She was fine!

Meanwhile, Artemis in the audience was getting bored...how could he have let Holly drag him into coming?

And then he heard the first lovely notes of Holly's singing...

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

Artemis was spellbound. Holly had a flawless voice. Who could have known that this was the same voice that had shouted threats at him when she was tapped in a cell when Artemis had first kidnapped her? He looked up at the stage and unconsciously thought, She's beautiful... Then mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking? You do not like Holly, He told himself sternly. Of course, a little voice in his head just had to protest that, Why not, And she's just your type, and how she's really pretty and she's possibly the only girl you've ever talked to other that Juliet and Mother... He shook his head. Shut up! Yet somehow, he half wanted to side with the voice...OH, Bad Arty, BAD ARTY! He mentally yelled at himself.

He sighed and decided to just sit back and listen to the rest of the song.

_You're giving me_

_Too many things_

_Lately, you're all I need_

_You smiled at me _

_And said_

_Don't get me wrong I love you_

_But does that mean I have to meet your father?_

_When we are older you'll understand _

_What I meant when I said no,_

_I don't think life is quite that simple_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_The daily things_

_That keep us all_

_Busy, All confusing me_

_That's when you came to me_

_And said_

_Wish I could prove I love you_

_But does that mean I have to walk_

_On water? _

_When we are older you'll understand _

_It's enough when I say so_

_And maybe some things are that simple_

Artemis mused over the lyrics. Interesting choice of song, when it didn't seem that Holly had ever had a lover in her life, not even someone close to even just a boyfriend. But then again, you never know...Wouldn't it be interesting to be her first lover? whispered the annoying little voice. The lyrics might refer to you... Artemis slammed a door in his head. Stupid voice!

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby_

_Don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before..._

Holly's voice faded away to applause. Slightly breathless, she bowed and walked off stage to sit next to Artemis at their little reserved table... "Did you like it?" she asked Artemis.

"Um yeah, it was very...nice..." Artemis stammered, caught off guard.

Holly smiled. "Good, I like to please the crowd." Was it just her, or did Artemis look kind of cute with his cheeks flushed and his hair sort of messy? As she realized what she just thought, she immediately stuck a wall there...No! She would not go there... Or will you? The same annoying voice whispered in her ear...

Finally, the Talent Show was over. All the contestants had finished...but yet, Foaly didn't seem to be done. He galloped onstage, skidding to a halt at the centre. "Hello again LEP officers! You may be thinking that the Talent Show is over, but like I said in the flier, there remains to be shown my little Special Surprise bit...And don't forget the Awards! But first, the little special bit...For a few years, a Mud Man by the name of Artemis Fowl, which you are probably familiar with, will be living with us in Haven."

Artemis felt a little queasy. He didn't like the sound of this...

"-because he owes us quite a bit for us taking him in, I have decided, he should do a little payback. I have run a search on his records and found that he has quite an interesting hobby...Artemis Fowl, come up to the stage and show us your skill in...DRUMROLLL PLEASE! Artemis Fowl the Second will give us a display of his RIVER DANCING!"

Artemis suddenly wanted to hide. Where had Foaly found out that his mother had forced him into taking river dance seven days a week ever since he was five? Then again, Foaly could find almost anything...But that didn't cancel the fact that he, Artemis Fowl the Second, DID! NOT! LIKE! RIVER DANCING! PERIOD! But the whole LEP was looking at him now with silent, staring eyes. Suddenly Root broke into laughter. "Artemis the child prodigy RIVER DANCING? HAHAHAHAHHAHA!" His bellows could be heard all around the Aud...

"Geniuses don't river dance!" Artemis protested weakly as Holly shoved him on the stage. Who knows? The traitorous voice whispered with a giggle. Holly might think it's kind of cute... As Foaly started playing the music, his traitorous body started dancing automatically... The little voice was right though. As Artemis hopped and clacked around the stage, he did look kind of cute, with his hair flopping in his eyes and his face red with embarrassment. It made quite a funny picture and the whole LEP laughed. Finally it was over and Artemis bowed and walked off the stage, trying to recover what was left of his dignity. Holly giggled when she saw his despairing face.

"Have a good time?" she teased.

"Do I look like I've had a good time?" Artemis demanded.

"Frankly, you don't," Holly giggled.

They both settled back in their seats to watch the rest of the show.

Then the bomb struck.

A/N: Muahaha, evil cliffy! Read and Review please!


	8. Yikes

Hold Me

Chapter 8: Chaos

A/N: READ THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I'm sorry to say, this will be the last chapter of Hold Me. No, it's not ending. It just wasn't working for me; if you read to the end of this chapter, you'll find that it's very Mary-Sueish and rather stereotyped. Oo; Again, I'm very sorry to anyone who really wanted to find out what would happen. This chapter was supposed to be uploaded in November 2004; as you can see, I'm way behind schedule. But you see, I started to reread my story and read a whole lot of others. I realized that it _was _rather stupidly unbelievable. So, I would like to say thanks to all my reviewers. Your support was great. I hope you don't mind.

It was complete chaos. The ceiling was falling in, debris was scattered everywhere, and screaming was all to be heard. Then there was another loud boom, and everyone became silent and froze in their tracks. The dust finally settled, and it was apparent for the cause of the explosion.

The remains of a small dynamite bomb were lying on the ground in the centre of the Aud next to the bodies of several limp, dust covered elves.

And Artemis Fowl.

Holly heard a scream, a throat wrenching scream to slice the very air and rip a person's heart out. When she realized it was her, her screaming, screaming for a one time enemy who was now as good as dead.

Wait a moment.

His chest was rising.

Holly rushed over to Artemis, cradling his head and weeping. She wiped her eyes angrily and through the onslaught of tears, examined Artemis' wounds.

It didn't look good.

She gently traced a slim finger along the trickling cut on is cheek, healing it as her finger moved.

Then she noticed the rip in his shirt which was trailing blood.

She ripped his shirt open to see a piece of glass, lodged in his chest, stained red by the ever flowing rivers of ruby blood. His chest was still rising, slowly, but she didn't think he would last much longer. Holly gently drew the shard out, noting Artemis' wince as it pricked the edges of the wound. At least he was alive. Fresh tears poured down her face for her friend-or was he more? Quite a lot of them dropped on him, partially washing away some of the blood. Holly delicately touched the corner of the slashed chasm in his chest, and whispered, "Heal."

She didn't know when it was, but as she healed, her strength weakened, and she began to droop, but she fought to stay awake until finally, skin an ashy pale, she fainted half dead over Artemis, fingers still on his chest, which had lightly knitted itself together. But he wasn't safe yet. Not by a long shot.

Meanwhile, the other members of the LEP were looking on in mesmerized silence, as if a spell had been cast over them. No one dared to speak a word, as if the building would collapse with the caress of one sound wave.

Finally Foaly broke the silence. Not by speaking though. By fainting. The soft bump of his body hitting the ground was all it took. Chaos erupted again. Only Julius Root and Trouble Kelp thought of the two limp and lifeless bodies on the ground. Both of them silently padded over to Holly and Artemis, and the only words exchanged were, "I'll take Holly. You take Artemis." by Kelp. The quartet disappeared into the mêlée of the crowd and emerged out the back doors to survey the wreckage of Haven. Haven was actually in fine condition, except for that at random intervals, singular buildings were smashed. It was like a tornado had jumped from one structure to another. As it was, nothing seemed safe. And judging by the look of our two casualties, their chance of living was not secure either.

Holly's skin was grey, and her body seemed almost translucent. She was worn out with the effort of healing, and most likely, she wouldn't recover if she didn't complete the Ritual_ fast_.

Artemis，on the other hand, looked even worse. His skin too, was almost translucent. Even with all the magic Holly had pumped into him, he was for sure headed to the land beyond. Numerous trickling cuts peppered his body, and the half-healed wound still didn't look quite right. No matter what, Artemis would probably always have a scar there.

"They need professional medical help," Root whispered. Trouble nodded.

"_Holly? Mother? Father? Butler? Juliet? Where are you? HOLLY!" Artemis collapsed to his knees. "Where am I?" He wondered aloud. Then he became aware of a dull throbbing in his chest, when he looked down__，__he was surprised to see a cool white hand on it. He looked up, and saw the glimpse of a face before it disappeared. It had looked curiously like, like…Mother? "Mother?" he called into the surrounding, blank darkness. The figure of Angeline Fowl materialized out of the darkness. And she had really become the "Angel" his father always used to call her. She had sprouted a pair of soft, glowy wings that engulfed the whole form of her. "Mother, where am I?" Artemis asked, feeling four years old again. "Artykins, I'm not sure. I think-I think-" _

:Half an Hour Later:

Holly blinked. For a moment she couldn't remember what had happened. Too bad Artemis isn't here to explain, she thought. And then it came flooding back. The bomb, the chaos, the healing… "Artemis…" She whispered. "Oh no…" she groaned. "I wasn't able to save him..." She said softly, hugging herself and feeling warm salt tears rolling down her cheeks. Then she realized something. She wasn't in the Aud anymore. She was wearing a white shift, in a white bed…_She was in medicare._ But where was Artemis? She scanned the room. Then she saw him. She was in one of those private two-person rooms, with a screen separating the two beds. And in the other bed was Artemis, not looking good. Better than before, but still not good. At least ten medi-packs were piled on him at injuries. A nurse came bustling in with a tray of food and…an plexiglass-encased acorn? Suddenly she felt fatigued and drained. She realized she needed the Ritual.

"As soon as you eat, Commander Root and Captain Kelp will take you outside to do the Ritual," the white-and-red clad nurse informed her. "Luckily, tonight is the full moon." Holly ate mechanically, her mind still trying to recall the events of…

"How long have I been sleeping?" Holly asked through mouthfuls of nutrient calculated nettle bread.

"Not long enough," the nurse muttered. "You came in just about fifteen minutes ago," she said more loudly.

So it hadn't been that long since the explosion.

Finishing up the last bit of food, Holly swung out of bed and picked up the small cube. She felt around her neckline. She was right. They had taken it from her neck. "Let's go." She said resolutely, pushing open the door. She found Julius and Trouble perched outside anxiously. "Are you okay?" Trouble and Root asked.

"Yes, I am fine," Holly snapped, not sure why she was being so touchy. "But Artemis isn't, so we should hurry, shouldn't we?"

Holly strode ahead of them outside to the hospital's main doors. She pushed them open and stood for a moment, trying to remember where the nearest shuttle port was. There was one three blocks away, she remembered. She set of at a jog, something her body protested. But years of long training with the LEP had remedied that. She forced her body to do what she wanted.

Julius and Trouble hurried to catch up to Holly when she disappeared around a corner. They were just in time to see her duck into a building called, SHUTTLE PORT # 192846203. Quickly, they followed her in and immediately saw her flashing her badge at a freaked gnome who was very, very intimidated by Holly's brisk manner.

"Holly!" Root called out to her.

Holly turned. "What? Come to offer some help getting on a shuttle?"

Root and Trouble, breathing a little heavily, reached her. "We're coming with you."

Root turned to the gnome. "Now," he said in a voice dripping with false honey, "You can either hand over passes for three elves to go aboveground and stay safe, or you can refuse the passes and suffer the wrath of the LEP's most testy Commander." The last part had a cold edge to it. The gnome quickly dodged behind the desk and with a shaking hand, drew out three passes from the cabinet. Handing them over, he promptly ducked behind t he desk again and didn't come out.

Holly smiled a little. "Thanks. Let's go do the Ritual."

:Above Ground:

"This place okay?" Trouble asked. Holly nodded.

Holly then dug a small hole with her fingers and pushed her acorn in.

Almost immediately she felt that familiar jolt that was magic coursing through her veins. Sparks jumped over her as the magic settled in.

The Ritual was complete. She was restored.

"Let's go save Artemis," Holly said with a fire burning in her eyes.

A/N Well, there it is. The Chapter that never was. So that's the end of Hold Me; I'm working on a new fic (three, actually) right now. Go to my Author's Page for Summaries and Promos. Thanks everyone!

irene your story sucks: HI STEPHANIE! Blah blahblahblahblah….LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU! No, your ending will not suffice. And no, it is not good. And Blah to you too………………………. You suck Irene……. O.o

Artemis the hunter (girl: NO! THE EVIL CLIFFIE HAS RETURNED! XD LOL And there _is_ nothing wrong with river dancing, it's just that Arty doing it wouldn't be dignified for his Genius Constitution.

Utena : Umm…it river dancing, not rain dancing…;;

neutralgal: It's Women(wimmin) attraction(trackshion) dance (danz) of the (ze) Verbill man. I submitted 3 pics for AgiVega's Arty Fowl fanart site, artemisfowlfc. Mine are Pastel Artemis, Artemis, and Holly.

Emma Watson Rules: River dancing is sort of like an Irish version of tap dancing. Except you NEVER move your arms around. Your body is rigid except for your legs.

VampirePeaches: Look at Chapter 2. You'll see lots of nasty, nasty swears. Including the f-word.

Also thanks to _Hopelessly Hooked Reviewer_,_xxkatherinexx, PeanutButterOreoCookieGirl99, Black Aliss, DarkPurpleDragon, Sakura12, Hikari's-Dark-Side08, tania15, liz, trohS-ylloH, and AgiVega. And all others who reviewed after I wrote this chapter. _


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